Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
The controversial AI technology startup Cluely gained widespread attention last week by asserting that its concealed in-browser window is “imperceptible” and can facilitate “circumventing” various scenarios from employment assessments to exams.
Competing Startups Claim Detection Capabilities
Several tech companies contend they possess capabilities to recognize and catch users of Cluely. Meanwhile, Cluely hints at developing tangible products like smart spectacles or neural implants designed to evade anti-academic dishonesty software entirely.
Validia’s Response with ‘Truely’
Based in San Francisco, Validia unveiled a free application called ‘Truely’ last week specifically to counter Cluely. The developers state that ‘Truely’ activates alerts when Cluely usage is detected.
Proctaroo’s Detection Claims
Proctaroo, a Rhode Island-headquartered startup, asserts that its digital solution can pinpoint users employing Cluely during monitored sessions.
Adrian Aamodt, CEO of Proctaroo, conveyed to a tech publication that “When a Proctaroo session is operational, it identifies active applications and concealed processes in the background – Cluely is not distinct in this regard.” The Proctaroo CEO additionally condemned Cluely’s business strategy as “unscrupulous.”
Cluely’s Defiance and Future Hardware
Chungin “Roy” Lee, co-founder and CEO of Cluely, expressed skepticism about the efficacy of these anti-dishonesty mechanisms, likening them to failed attempts in the gaming industry.
Furthermore, Lee suggests that Cluely might venture into hardware solutions, making existing anti-dishonesty software outdated. “Whether it entails smart glasses, transparent overlays, recording accessories, or even brain implants, we remain uncertain,” he stated.
Lee emphasized that transitioning to hardware is “technologically feasible,” despite notable failures in AI-related hardware products such as Humane’s AI Pin.
Shift in Marketing Strategy
The backlash against Cluely appears to have had some effect. Cluely has removed mentions of cheating on exams and job interviews from its website and promotional documents. Initially marketed as a tool for circumventing exams and interviews, Cluely now promotes uses in “conducting sales calls and attending meetings.”
Lee shared that Cluely is “reconfiguring” its messaging to cater to the “largest and most influential markets.”
“In essence, we envision a future where everyone maximizes AI’s potential,” Lee said, “which involves targeting significant, specific markets and expanding outward from there.”